Centered...Manoj Kumar Panigrahi Joseph Reilly Richard Saunders Rosemary Susa Grace Ting Judy Tsuei...

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Centeredon TAIPEI F E B

2019

Vol. 19 | 05

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3www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2019

COMMUNITYTAS - Practicing what they preach 8Tamsui – A Town for Photographers, Travelers and Hopeless Romantics 11A Cross-cultural Taste of India 14Taipei: A City Begging to be Discovered 16

CULTURECelebrating the Lucky Chinese New Year ofthe Brown Earth Pig 18How a Little Chinese Can Go a Long Way 19

OUTLOOKWhat if People Are Talking About You Behind Your Back? 20Living Abroad With Children 22The Sofa Is Our Home 23

TRAVELExploring Shifen and Pingxi…without the sky lanterns 25

ART & POETRYInherited Dreams 15Artwork by Wilder Love Fox 27Satoru Kondo – Life in Colour 28So inside back cover

CSC From the Editors 5Center Gallery 6Activity Highlights 7Book Clubs: February 15 CSC Business Classified 26

C O N T E N T SFebruary 2019 volume 19 issue 5

Centered on Taipei is a publication of the Community Services Center, 25, Lane 290, Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 6, Tianmu, Taipei, Taiwan Tel: 02-2836-8134fax: 02-2835-2530e-mail: [email protected]

Correspondence may be sent to the editor at [email protected]. Freelance writers, photographers and illustrators are welcome to contact the editor to discuss editorial and graphic assignments. Your talent will find a home with us!

Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner.

Community Services Center, TaipeiSuzan BabcockRichard SaundersNaomi [email protected]

Siew Kang, Fred Voigtmann

Farn Mei Printing Co., Ltd.1F, No. 102, Hou Kang Street, Shilin District, TaipeiTel: 02-2882-6748 Fax: 02-2882-6749E-mail: [email protected]

PublisherEditorCo-editorAdvertising ManagerMagazine EmailTelFax

Community ServicesCenter Editorial Panel

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COT is printed on FSC certified 100% post-consumer recycled fiber. The paper is certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council which promotes environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests. https://ic.fsc.org/

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TIGER TOTS PRESCHOOL A LOVING PLACE FOR LEARNINGA LOVING PLACE FOR LEARNINGA LOVING PLACE FOR LEARNING

North American Curriculum Qualified Instructors Low Student/Teacher Ratios

Fun and Educational Daily Activities Field Trips Fun After School Enrichment Classes Mandarin Playgroups

Gymnastics and Music Class Engaging Outdoor Playgrounds

Gardening

TYPA MAIN OFFICE: (02)2873-1815 www.typa.org.tw

PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN (LOCATED INSIDE TAS)

TIGGER'S(PRE-2S), 2S AND 3S PLAYGROUPS (TIAN YU CAMPUS)

We’d love to introduce you to our diverse and incredibly special community of learners!Please call to arrange a visitation.

FEBRUARY 2019 www.communitycenter.org.tw

Everyone needs to know why...We’ll help your whole family prepare for the big adventure.

Crown’s service offerings include:

• International&DomesticShipments• TransitProtection• Pet&CarTransfers• Immigration&Legalization• HomeSearch• SchoolSearch• Settling-inServices

Tel:[email protected]

Go knowingwww.crownrelo.com/taiwan

CR ad Euroview AprMay.indd 1 22/3/2016 3:40:25 PM

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COMMUNITY SERVICES CENTER

Adam McMillan

Grace Ting

I-wen Chan, Katherine Chang, Hui-shiang Chao, Jung Chin, Chiao-Feng Chung, Cerita Hsu, Carol Lee, Miranda Lin, Emilie Ma, Kuang-Shan Wan

Wendy Evans and Michael Mullahy

Joanne Chua

Monica ChengRosemary SusaBunny PachecoJohn Imbrogulio Morgan LoosliShan LeeGloria GwoSamson Debele

Miyuki Boice, Riley Carbonneau, Judith Chou, John Imbrogulio, Leslie McFarlane, John McQuadeSofia Vintimila

Bai Win AntiquesEuropean Chamber of CommerceGrand Hyatt Taipei

Concordia ConsultingICRTSan Fu Global

Director

Office Manager

Counselors

Consultants

Counseling Admin.

Accountant Programs ManagerPrograms AssistantCoffee Mornings Coordinator Cross-cultural TrainerCommunicationsEvents Coordinator Mandarin Chinese TeacherSystems Manager

Volunteers

Benefactors

Premier Sponsors

The Community Services Center (CSC) is a non-profit foundation. CSC provides outreach and early intervention through counseling, cross-cultural education and life skills programs to meet the needs of the international community in Taipei. CSC offers the opportunity to learn, volunteer, teach and meet others. Check out our website www.communitycenter.org.tw and drop by The Center to chat with us about our programs. You can also email us at [email protected].

COT TEAM

Feature Writers

WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS

Sue BabcockAndrew ConleyLuca de CadilhacKenneth DicksonWilder Love FoxChristina GrunwaldElliott HodgkinTravis Humphrey

Satoru KondoLindsey KundelManoj Kumar PanigrahiJoseph ReillyRichard SaundersRosemary SusaGrace TingJudy Tsuei

There is something special about the beginning of a New Year, which resonates with many people, especially in Taipei. The Lunar New Year is a time when families and friends traditionally get together to celebrate. This year is the Year of the Brown Earth Pig, and according to local fortune tellers it will be a year of minute, but steady, economic gain for all animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac.

Here at the Center, the month of February is going to be an active one. In Taiwan, drinking tea is a social and cultural activity, which can be traced back to ancient China. On February 12th, a special morning tour has been scheduled for a visit to a local tea shop to learn the proper way to select tea, how to brew, serve and drink it. This unique tour will be led by Tea Master Yasuko Hondo, and is an opportunity not to be missed.

Our February issue has many interesting articles on the Taipei art scene from the eyes of two international s t u d e n t s, p l u s p u b l i c a r t, Ta m s u i (a t o w n fo r photographers), advice on raising children overseas, and Richard Saunders’ tips on how to enjoy Shifen and Pingxi without the sky lanterns.

There is always something going on at the Center. So, please stop by for a cup of coffee, good conversation and a warm welcome.

We would like to wish everyone a prosperous and healthy New Year!

Pick COT up at:Uptown: Community Services Center, No. 25, Lane 290, Sec. 6, Zhongshan North Rd.Sprout – No. 33, Sec. 7, Zhongshan North Rd.George Pai’s Beauty – No. 14, Tienmu East Rd.Downtown:Ooh Cha Cha – 207, Sec.2, Nanchang Rd.

Please send email submissions, comments, and feedback to [email protected].

Sue and Richard

COVER IMAGE: Lanterns in Fuyou Templeby Kenneth Dickson

For more information, please go to our website atwww.communitycenter.org.tw

Suzan BabcockEditor

[email protected]

KCGraphic Designergraphicdesigntaipei.

weebly.com

Richard SaundersCo-editor

[email protected]

Naomi KalyAdvertising Manager

[email protected]

Kenneth Dickson Christina Grunwald Manoj Kumar Panigrahi

Judy Tsuei

FROM THE

EDITORS

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6 FEBRUARY 2019 www.communitycenter.org.tw

CSC

A percentage of all proceeds of items sold at the Gallery will go to the Center. Please remember that by displaying your items or shopping at the Gallery, you will be helping the Center to continue to provide valuable services to the international community.

FEBRUARY 2019 GALLERY

AN EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS BY CHARLES HAINES

ANITA TOWN’S LOVELY SCARF AND ORNAMENT COLLECTION

JOB OPENING!!!

ELIZABETH LAM'S POSTCARDS COLLECTION

CHERRY HILL ANTIQUES

The Community Services Center is pleased to have on loan from Bai Win Antiques an exhibition of beautiful oil paintings by artist Charles Haines.

Anita Town’s Lovely Scarf and Ornament Collection will be at the Center for pre-holiday shopping and gift-giving selections.

Raise awareness, while helping to save Taiwan's e n d a n g e r e d e n d e m i c species. Buy one, or a set of five, of these beautifully i l l u st rate d p o stca rd s, hand-drawn by Elizabeth L a m a n d p r i n t e d o n recycled cotton paper.

We are pleased to display a wide range of handmade Chinese ethnic-style jewelry, featuring intricate knotting combined with new and old jade, cloisonné beads, lapis, coral and other semi-precious stones. Other gifts on display include Chinese-style bags, placemats and coasters, all perfect for gift giving.

PERFORMANCE2/23 Saturday Formosa Improv Group Performance7:30 PM-10:00 PM (LS)

SPOKEN WORD2/16 SaturdayStage Time & Wine CV : An intimate open mic event7:00 PM-10:00 PM (LS) MUSIC2/15 Sunday An Evening of French Songs : A Tribute to Edith Piaf with Anne Dewees and Albert 7:30 PM-10:00 PM (LS)

2/22 Friday Kind of Red XXIV : An evening of social music7:30 PM-10:00 PM (LS)

WELLNESS2/17 Sunday Body & Soul : Find your breath, Find your voice4:30 PM-6:00 PM (LS)

MULTIMEDIA2/10 SundayFilmmaker Night 5:30 PM-9:30 PM (G)

2/21 ThursdayWe Are One Taiwan : Discussion w/ Tejun the Performer7:30 PM-10:00 PM (LS)

FEBRUARY EVENTS

Programs may be subject to change. Please check our website or facebook for updates. redroomtaipei.com

We are looking for a creative, highly organized person to manage and coordinate our events. You will have full artistic license to put your own personal mark on our auction, spring event, and golf tournament. Events are an important fundraising tool here at the Center and a key part of our everyday operation.

Interested applicants please send a cover letter and resume to Adam McMillan at [email protected]

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FEBRUARY ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS

The Culture of Tea: How to Select, Brew, and Drink Taiwanese Tea Tuesday, February 12th; 9:30 am – 12 noon Instructor: Yasuko HondoNT$800 In Taiwan, drinking tea goes beyond just quenching one's thirst. It is also a social and cultural activity (which can be traced back to ancient China) and is embedded into the culture of the country. For the Taiwanese, tea culture includes tea production, tea arts and wares, traditional tea ceremonies and the social aspects of consuming tea. For those of us living in Taiwan, tea is often chosen as a great local gift to bring home to family and friends, but do you know what type of tea to buy, or how to prepare it? If not, then join Yasuko Hondo, a Taiwan Tea Master, to visit a local teashop and learn the proper way to select, brew, serve and drink Taiwanese tea. This class ends at the tea shop. Directions back to the MRT will be provided.

Shopping in Taipei: Carrefour Tour Monday, February 18th; 9 – 11am Guide: Karine LimaNT$500If you’re new to Taiwan and would like some information about shopping for groceries, or if you

have been here awhile and are still struggling to find the right ingredients for a favorite family meal, then this informative tour is for you. The Center has partnered with Carrefour to offer you a chance to meet with the store’s import team and visit their Tianmu store. Here’s what you will learn: which imported items are available in Taiwan; what local items can be substituted for ingredients that are not available; information about organic and free-range products; Taiwan food safety regulations; why the availability of some items can be so unpredictable; and how you can go about proposing items that the store should stock.

Delectable Dumplings Friday, February 15th; 10am – 12 noon Instructor: Ivy Chen NT$1,200 At least once every year, Ivy shares some of her very

popular Chinese dumpling (jiǎozi) recipes at the Center. This semester join her for this fun, hands-on class where she will demonstrate two different types of dumplings. On the menu are the traditional boiled pork with cabbage dumplings (shuǐjiǎo) and pan-fried vegetable dumplings (guōtiē), commonly known as pot stickers. Both will be served with her favorite dipping sauces and a tasty seasonal vegetable. With Ivy as your cooking guide you will be well on your way to making these tasty local treats for your family at home. Hăo chī!

Perfect PakistaniFriday, February 22nd; 10 am – 12 noon Instructor: Asma Ahmed NT$1,200Join Asma Ahmed for a delicious Pakistani meal that you will soon be able to prepare yourself to wow your family and friends. We start with green masala

chicken, prepared with green chilies and fresh coriander, It’s accompanied by muttar pulau (rice cooked with peas, onions, bay leaves, cardamom and cumin); tarka daal (lentils infused with spicy oil); tomato bhujia (tomatoes cooked with chilies, onion seeds and curry leaves); and a cooling kachumer salad. What an amazing selection of flavors and seasonings!

Create a Beautiful Evening Bag Using Chinese Knotting TechniquesTuesdays, March 5-April 2; 12 noon – 2:00pm Instructor: Naomi Watanabe$3,200This four-session knotting class offers you a chance to create a beautiful, hand-made evening bag. Over the course of each class Naomi will teach you how to prepare the materials and produce the appropriate knots, which are reminiscent of macramé. Depending upon your past experience and skill, you may need to do some of the work at home between classes. It is a challenging class but one that you will find rewarding when you have completed your own usable piece of art. Samples of completed bags will be available at the Center. All materials for the class included.

Do you have a skill or talent that you would like to share? Or have you found some great places around Taipei that you would like to take others to see? Then why not consider teaching a course or leading a tour for the Center in Fall 2019? If you are interested, or would like more information, please contact Rosemary at [email protected].

THE CENTERNEEDS YOU!

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T aipei American School prides itself on hiring a large number of faculty members who have received advanced degrees.

In this current school year (2018-2019) approximately 63% of our faculty members possess one master's degree, and another 5.7% have two or more; 8.9% of ful l-t ime TAS faculty have obtained a doctoral degree, defined by HR as either a PhD, JD, or EdD. This number will go up significantly in the next two academic years.

A record number of full-time faculty are currently pursuing doctoral degrees in their spare time. Thirteen faculty members (nearly 5% of our full-time faculty) are enrol led in an onl ine or part-t ime doctoral degree. It’s important to note that this number does not include the six other faculty members who graduated from doctoral programs just last school year.

W h i l e s o m e o f t h e s e f a c u l t y members have just started thei r studies, others have finished or are nearly finished with their coursework, and some will be graduating in a few months, after the grueling process of defending a thesis. The thirteen faculty members span all three divisions, including administrators, teachers, and counselors. While their formal titles may vary, they are all teacher-leaders.

This surge in doctoral degrees at TAS aligns with recent information regarding the prevalence of doctoral degrees in America. According to the National Science Foundation, American universities are awarding doctoral degrees at an accelerating pace, up nearly 3.5 percent from 2013 and up nearly eight percent from 2011. However, Taipei American School teachers have outpaced those statistics, since nearly 5% of our faculty are currently seeking a professional degree beyond a Master's.

For middle school EAL teacher, Tim

Sheu, pursuing a doctorate was the next logical step in his career. "I'm a lifelong learner, and for a number of years I felt like I needed to look into a new degree in order to grow professionally," Sheu said. He is currently in his third and final year of the program at Johns Hopkins, studying how to build teachers' efficacy and expertise in teaching writing across the curriculum.

Andrew Lowman agrees that this "idealist" sentiment is why he also first applied, but he thinks that there is a more practical reason as well. "I would hope that as educators we all see ourselves as lifelong learners," Lowman said. "But the thing is that we also all have some gaps in our professional backgrounds that we should try to address, because we all come into education from different places." For Lowman, this meant that because his master's degree focused more on counseling and positive psychology, he knew that he needed to learn more about school leadership in order to "round out" his experiences before accepting a new administrative role within the school.

For other faculty members like Lori Richardson Garcia and Evelyn Chen, the motivation to pursue a doctorate was similarly focused on broadening their understanding of how schools function. Richardson Garcia said that she was interested in exploring other areas of leadership beyond her work as a middle school counselor. "I [wanted] to be able to see what we do for students through multiple lenses," Richardson Garcia said, "and working on my doctorate [would give] me exposure to many different aspects of school leadership."

Chen similarly said that she got the "i tch" to pursue th i s degree because she wanted to be involved in "different conversations" around the school beyond those of her science classroom. Her goal was to feel like her contribution to the school was part of a greater picture. She compared it to the analogy of a frog inside a well seeing only a small part of the sky. "I think that's how I felt because in our classes...because there's just really no time for you to establish that holistic picture of what kids are learning [in different classes]."

COMMUNITY

Practicing what they preach: A Record Number of Full-time Faculty Pursue Doctoral Degrees TEXT: LINDSEY KUNDEL, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER IMAGES: TAS

Lower School Middle School Upper School Administration

Tara Simeonidis, USC Rossier

Leanne Rainbow, American College of Education

[Teacher prefers not to be named]

Lori Richardson Garcia, East Carolina University

Tim Sheu, Johns Hopkins University

Chris Hoffman, Bethel University

Juliana Martinez, University of Bath

Andrew Lowman, Walden University

Evelyn Chen, Vanderbilt University

Kevin Held, Northeastern University

Jill Fagen, Bethel University

Jeff Neill, Northeastern University

Kathryn Limmer, USC Rossier

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Kevin Held was motivated to continue his graduate work for a slightly different goal. Instead of working towards a career goal, Held has been working to rectify a lack of research in his particular field: technical theater. "I noticed a lack of any literature about why we do what we do behind the scenes," Held said. "Everything focuses on how to use the latest gadget, but not why it enhances our art form. I also noticed that the rhetoric about robotics and engineering focused on the team process, iterations, and returning to the design until you get something that works."

M a ny o f t h e fa c u l t y m e m b e rs interviewed said that they had been th inking of pursuing a doctorate for several years before applying or beginning their coursework. One faculty member, Chris Hoffman, has a different story. This is his second attempt at doctoral studies because he was deployed to Afghanistan in the middle of his first degree. He took a break from his studies upon returning to the United States and, after moving to and living in Taiwan for several years, he finally decided to return to his research.

For Hoffman, studying leadership at the doctoral level has been about "standing on the shoulders" of those leaders who inspired him, leaders from the military and from the other schools he has worked in. He decided to continue his studies because he wanted to become what he calls a "public intellectual," a person who is consulted and trusted by others when they face challenging problems in education.

Juliana Martinez was also interested in continuing her studies based on the leaders she had learned from in the past, including her adviser at St. Paul's School, our current Head of School, Dr. Sharon Hennessy. "She has been in my life for a very long time," said Martinez. "And she's very impressive. Back when I met her in high school she already had multiple degrees. Since that time I have always wanted to pursue a higher degree."

For Leanne Rainbow, the opportunity to also be a role model is on her mind as she finishes her degree. "I think it's a good message for our students to have a female doctor in STEM present in their life at an early age. It's powerful for all of our students to look up to, but it's even more powerful for our young girls." Within her own family, she's proud that her daughters see her work through the joys and challenges of study. "It's not always pretty," she said, "but I like studying alongside my girls and I'm glad that they get to see me working hard on something that's really important to me."

Each of these TAS faculty members has a different story about why they are pursuing this degree now, but all agree on the sacrifices that must be made in order to achieve this degree. All of these doctoral candidates work full- (or beyond full-) time at TAS. They have families, children, and other outside responsibilities including taking care of pets, coaching responsibilities, and attempting to live a balanced life. However, they all echoed the same

sentiment about pursuing a doctoral degree: something's got to give.

Chris Hoffman wakes up between 3:30 and 3:45 every morning to read, write, and study before coming to work. He does this, he said, so that he can be fully present both at work and at home with his family.

Lori Richardson Garcia often has a similar schedule to Hoffman. "At one point when I was writing my literature review, I was going to bed at 7 PM and waking up at 3 AM." She spoke about the importance of being strategic with work time but also scheduling in protected time for yourself and your loved ones. "We carve out time on Mondays because [my husband] is off. Monday is our date night [because] the other nights we’re both working."

Several of the other candidates said that they prefer to work mostly on evenings or weekends.

Jeff Neill said that he often wakes up early to work out, but prefers to save all work for after his children go to bed. "Thankfully, my kids go to bed early," said Neill. "One of the promises that I made when I started the doctoral program was that I wouldn't allow it to interfere with family." He said the things that he has sacrificed the most are sleep and reading for pleasure instead of for classes.

For Evelyn Chen, she said that the thing she has had to sacrifice most is her social life. "Every weekend I try to do one great thing for me. Whether that is yoga or having dinner dates with friends, I definitely make sure to do

Andrew Lowman

Evelyn Chen

Tim Sheu

Juliana Martinez

Kevin Held

Tara Simeonidis

Lori Richardson Garcia

Chris Hoffman

Kathryn Limmer

Jeff Neill

Leanne Rainbow

Jill Fagen

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COMMUNITY

something for me," she said. "But the rest of the weekend is for work."

Ju l iana Mart inez i s enrol led in a British program that has a much different schedule than the American universities; as such, her work schedule i s qu i te un l ike that of the other candidates. Sher attends classes in person in the United Kingdom each summer and then works independently during the school year on research and synthesis papers that reflect her knowledge of the course content. She said the biggest thing she has had to sacrifice is vacation time. She and her husband have not yet taken a vacation during the school year since beginning her studies. "You def initely need someone at home who believes in you. My husband has been the one who has really supported me through this process, discussing my ideas and helping me to organize them," Martinez said.

TAS actively encourages and supports faculty members who are pursuing graduate work. Whether it is offering

on-campus graduate credit workshops, p a r t n e r i n g w i t h o u t s i d e o n l i n e educational groups like COETAIL, State University of New York at Buffalo, or The College of New Jersey, or helping to partially fund some students who are working on graduate credits that relate to the School's Strategic Plan, professional development continues to be both supported and expected.

A l l o f t h e f a c u l t y m e m b e r s interviewed encouraged other faculty members to pursue the more difficult option, a doctoral degree, over a second master's degree, albeit for different reasons.

For some, like Juliana Martinez, a doctoral degree is superior because of what the title symbolizes. "If I'm going to do all the work of forty credits and a thesis, I want a title," said Martinez. "For me, that is something important because it is hard work to go through that level of academic research...if I'm going to research something that in-depth, I want to be able to have a

title that says that I really understand that subject."

Chris Hoffman and Tim Sheu agree with Martinez. Both describe being a doctor as entering into a club of public intellectualism, where other people might look to you for ideas and answers to difficult problems. This is not a theoretical claim. As a result of nearly completing his doctoral degree, one faculty member, Jeff Neill, has already been asked to consult on his area of research for a professional journal.

These thirteen faculty members are a compelling testament to the School's continued support and encouragement of professional development for our faculty. Most of them wil l not be receiving a higher salary as a result of this decision to pursue another degree, and yet they have made the difficult (and t ime-consuming) decision to prioritize their own learning, which will benefit not only the students under their immediate care, but the entire culture of learning at our school.

INFORMATION SESSIONSLearn about our programs and admissions

requirements, and tour our facilities.

Saturday, March 2, 2019Lower School 9:30-11:00 AM

Middle and Upper School 1:00-2:30 PM

Reserve a space by emailing [email protected], calling 2873-9900 ext. 329

or registering online at www.tas.edu.tw/infosessions

T A I P E I A M E R I C A N S C H O O L

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TEXT & IMAGES: KENNETH DICKSON

Tamsui – a Town for Photographers, Travelers and Hopeless Romantics

I f I could name just one place in Taiwan that would absorb a visitor's entire day, that'd be Tamsui in New Taipei City. So let me introduce the

town to you, experience a taste of its cultural heritage, and find out why it's creating a real buzz for visitors!

Arriving in Tamsui, most people head straight for the waterfront on Huanho Street, which runs along the harbor front to the old wharves. On Sundays, holidays and in summer, there will be throngs of people on this street, so walking will be slow. If you prefer a faster pace, take the Old Street then thread the narrow side streets, then come back to the Old Street/harbor front later in the afternoon. You may even catch some golden hour sunsets over the water if you do that!

TAMSUI TRADES IN GOODS AND PEOPLE

From the Qing dynasty period, Tamsui was the busiest port in Taiwan, and a major center for trading tea, gold, camphor, sugar, wood, and opium. In the late 19th century, the river started silting up, eventually restricting large trading ships from going upstream. Since then industry, fishing and tourism have sustained the town.

Nowadays, Tamsui Wharf has several ferries to Bali on the opposite shore of the river, to Fisherman’s Wharf, and occasional excursions elsewhere. The trips to Bali are the most popular, so on busy days there can be a wait. Elsewhere, you'll see small fishing v e s s e l s m o o re d, a l o n g w i t h t h e occasional dragon boat used during the annual Dragon Boat Races. The old trading harbors further up are worth checking out, including the recently re sto re d Ta m s u i C u sto m s W h a r f buildings at 259, Zhongzheng Road (open daily 9:30 am ~ 5 pm, entry is free).

Trading still continues since Taipei Port opened across the Tamsui river, and trade has recently grown robustly,

mostly between Taiwan and China, effectively re-establishing centuries-old trading patterns. If you stand at the seafront or harbor, you will see clearly a dozen large cranes hovering over ships. More large vessels can be glimpsed offshore waiting to drop off or pick up goods.

WAREHOUSES: PAST AND PRESENTSevera l warehouses have been

restored to tell that story of trading: including the British Tea Merchants trading houses and the Douglas Lapraik Warehouse at the harbor. The former

GETTING THERE Go to any MRT station then catch a train to a transfer station for the Red Line to Tamsui. You won’t have to wait more than six or seven minutes for your train. From Taipei Train Station, the journey is about 40 minutes. Arriving at Tamsui, exit the MRT station, turn left and Old Street and the waterfront are both 2-3 minutes away.

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British Tea Merchants warehouses were purchased by the Royal Dutch Shell Company for oil storage. In 1944, they were bombed and destroyed. Since then, they have been restored as Tamsui Culture Park, with exhibitions, shows, and events. They’re right next to the MRT station on the river front, at 22 Bitou Street, and are open from 9 am ~ 6 pm. Entry is free.

When you go, remember to take photos looking out over the river. Don't forget to check out the original railway tracks nearby, remnants of the sidings from the old railway that used to run to Taipei.

If you've ever seen the movie The Sand Pebbles with Steve McQueen, y o u’ l l s e e s h o t s o f t h e o r i g i n a l warehouses, before they burned down. While the original warehouses are gone, you can still enjoy the location and a cup of coffee at Starbucks which now occupies the site. Behind the

warehouses sit the renovated offices of Douglas Lapraik & Co, which operated steamship routes around East Asia. After Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, Douglas Lapraik & Co withered away, though one of their buildings has been restored at 316 Zhongzheng Road.

TEMPLES AND CHURCHESHarbors traditionally are places

w h e re p ro d u c t s a re t ra d e d a n d travelers visit. But ideas, cultures, and religions also traveled through harbors. So it's not surprising that Tamsui has so many religious sites and temples. Not far away at 200, Zhongzheng Road is Fuyou Temple, which faces Guanyin Mountain. Fuyou Temple was consecrated to the Goddess Mazu in the 1720s and rebuilt in 1796. The intricate stone structure and wood carvings were built by the fishermen and townspeople of Tamsui. Check out

the statue of Mazu with extraordinary eyes and ears.

Religion was important to the early arrivals to Taiwan. There are temple foundation stories all over the island that trace their roots back to ancient

ROUTE PLANS I suggest the following route: Longshan Temple >>> Qingshui Temple >>> Presbyterian Church >>> Head to the Waterfront >>> Douglas Lapraik Warehouse >>> Old Street pt. 1 >>> Fuyou Temple >>> Old Street pt. 2 >>> Shell Oil Yard >>> MRT. Please treat these as way-points; you'll find lots of other places to explore. It’s not a long walk, but stopping to explore and buying snacks will extend your time quite a lot. I recommend you bring an umbrella and/or hat, sunscreen, decent walking shoes, and lots of fluids, especially water.

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temples in China. Longshan Temple in Fujian Province in China has inspired five local Longshan Temples around the island for the worship of Guanyin. Of course, Tamsui has a Longshan Temple which can be found in the old market area at 22, Lane 95, Zhongzheng Road. Not far away is Qingshui Temple, at 87, Qingshui Street, dedicated to the god Qingshui Sushi. There are plans to restore the temple steps, so one day it will look even more dramatic.

Tamsui is also an important center for the development of Christianity, medicine & education. On New Year's Eve 1871, a missionary from Canada arr ived who would have a major impact. The Rev. George Leslie Mackay from the Canadian Presbyterian Mission in Taiwan left an important legacy of churches, hospitals, schools, and universities for the people of Tamsui.

The Tamsui Presbyterian Church (founded by Rev. Mackay) sits on a little alley at 8 Maxie Street, just behind the main thoroughfare through the town. Its spire gracefully reaches for the sky, while the red bricks glow in the sun. It's one of the few places here that has stained glass visible to the street. Built in 1932, this building imposes itself even now on the local surroundings. Check the bulletin board for opening hours.

As an aside, you can check out his grave in the old Foreigners' Cemetery n e a r t h e O x fo rd C o l l e ge, w h e re you can’t fa i l to not ice the large commemorative statue, too. His legacy is quite impressive, especially when you consider that in the first few years the hurling of stones would often greet his arrival in a new place.

OLD STREET: LITTLE SNACKS AND SOUVENIRS

From the church, you can return to the MRT station along the Old Street. This is the famous market area for visitors that starts beside Starbucks at Tamsui MRT station. Its official name is Gongming Street, and it runs to Zhongzheng Road, the main road through Tamsui town center. There are actually two parallel roads to explore here: the shore front (Huanho Road) has more restaurants and edibles, while the Old Street itself sells tourist knick-knacks, street food, and souvenirs.

For those of you eager to try the famous local delicacies, iron eggs (literally translated) are small, edible

nuggets of dark weirdness; try them! Another local delicacy is a-gei, deep- fried tofu stuffed with bean noodles, which can be and eaten with a little spicy relish. Tamsui fish balls are a popular snack, made from ground fish and garlic, served in a simple stock.

As you walk further up the main street, you'l l come across a wide range of tasty things to eat, both s av o r y a n d s w e e t. F o r i n s t a n c e there's Shinjiencheng Cake Shop at

42 Gongming Street, which has been making local specialty and wedding cakes for over seventy years, plus a range of traditional Taiwanese cakes and special pies.

You will also find vendors selling deep-fried shrimp rolls, pepper pork buns, freshly made cakes, and much more, and plenty of drink vendors with freshly made tea, coffee, and juices along the street. By the time you finish snacking, dinner will be an after-thought as you head back to Taipei.

LOOK OUT THE WINDOWAs you leave Tamsui on the MRT,

don't forget to look out of the window across to Bali and Guanyin Mountain across the river. Perhaps you'll ponder for a few moments how generous the Goddess of Mercy has been to Tamsui and its people. Perhaps one day, she'll even entice you to come back!

Kenneth Dickson bought a camera many years ago to take photographs of his travels around Taiwan. Twenty thousand photographs later, he finally joined Photowalkers in Taipei, a group that encourages everyone to get out and take photographs wherever they are. You can visit his other photography at http://www.lookthroughthelens.com

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A quote from the movie Today’s Special (2011) best expresses my love of Indian cooking: “Masala is the symphony, oil

is the orchestra.” This quote came from the scene where a character described his love of Indian food.

Recently, I was invited to make some easy and simple dishes for students at the schools that I am visiting here in Taiwan. Coming from an international relations background, this idea of cooking Indian food for students was a perfect way to share my culture. I decided to name it “curry diplomacy.” Students would not only get to taste Indian food, but they would also see first-hand how curry is made, from the beginning until they taste it. They are usually surprised at its taste, and want to know why curry is not as spicy as they had previously thought.

Since I enrolled in a master’s program in New Delhi, a lot of things in my life have changed. Coming from the countryside of India’s Odisha state, I’d dreamt of studying abroad since I was in primary school. Having failed in the school’s mathematics and chemistry

exams multiple times in my 12th grade, it took me over a year-and-a-half more to enter college. During this time, I had lost all hope of succeeding and slipped towards depression and anxiety. But something inside of me kept on trying.

Eventually, I passed all the exams and requirements and enrolled in college. But this wasn’t the average urban college, but instead lay deep inside the forests of the Eastern Ghats, and the 30 km ride there took more than ninety minutes.

During those times, I had no one to talk to except my family and very close friends, but they not only helped me to overcome difficulties, but also to have a completely different approach to education and to the life which was waiting for me. All these experiences have made me realize the importance of having a broader vision for our education. I promised myself I would do whatever I could to make education for similar children better.

When I came to Taiwan, I realized that there was a way I could present information about India through the schools and colleges. I could share

with students a first-hand experience of learning about India that didn’t rely on books. My friends have asked me many times, “Don’t you feel tired? Why are you visiting so many schools to teach those students, and for free? And all this in addition to your own graduate studies?”

My answer to them was “yes,” it takes a significant amount of my time and energy. Sometimes, I do feel frustrated because of the long traveling hours, but what keeps me going is my love of speaking to students. It really enthralls me when I am teaching them.

Teaching not only helps relax my mind and eases stress, but it also provides me with a platform to speak, to share and discuss my own culture with students who come from different backgrounds and ages. I also see this as a type of training for my future work in teaching history or geography at a school, or international relations at university level.

Once a schoolteacher asked me why I make so many visits, especially since I wasn’t getting paid to do so. I responded by say ing, “I t’s very easy to criticize something you don’t ful ly understand. I found a lot of misinformation about India here in Taiwan and other places in the world. I want to try my best to remove those stereotypes or misinformation about my country, and this is what makes me different from others. The only way to solve an issue is by working on it rather than criticizing it.”

One special school v is i t was to Pingbei Senior High School in Pingtung County. The school is located in a beautiful valley surrounded by nature. Most of the students are aboriginal, and I was able to watch them sing their traditional songs. They also tried to teach me how to count using their

A Cross-cultural Taste of India

TEXT & IMAGES: MANOJ KUMAR PANIGRAHI

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language, which, unfortunately, I have forgotten.

I also visited two schools in Changhua County, where I observed some unique teaching styles. The first was the use of social media, Instagram and LINE, which were used by the teacher and students for fast and effective communication. Students were able to ask the teacher a b o u t f u t u re a c t i v i t i e s a n d t h e coordination of events.

A n o t h e r t e a c h e r u s e d o n l i n e p lat forms to create interact ions between her students and students in other countries. I found this unique way of teaching very inspiring. It gives students f irst-hand experience of interacting and learning cross-culturally with students from other countries.

A major takeaway for me from

visits to Taiwan schools is seeing the discipline of the country's students. They’re responsible for keeping their classrooms and corridors clean on a daily basis. Taiwanese students also have a mandatory thirty-minute nap during lunch hour. This scheduled rest time acts as a power booster for students to be more productive.

In future, I not only want to be a teacher, but one who puts extra effort into understanding students who are not doing well, not necessarily only in their academic life, but also other activities. Students are valuable assets for the future. We need to nurture and teach them carefully so that they will not become a problem to society in the future.

As I prev ious ly ment ioned, i t’s

easy to criticize, but we need to use these criticisms in a positive way. My experiences in Taiwanese schools have really helped me, and I feel that I am going to be a better teacher and human being in the future.

Manoj i s currently a P h D c a n d i d a t e a t I n t e r n a t i o n a l Doctoral Program in Asia-Pacific Studies (IDAS) at National Chengchi University (NCCU). His research includes the foreign policy, foreign aid, security i ssues and culture of Asia-Pacif ic countries.

Now, we walk slowlybecause while we were walking fast

we couldn’t recallour inherited dreams

of silence and harmonyWith every name, with every face

we walked all night aloneas we began to focus

with the frozen stream, the rising sunilluminated the change of season

as we longed to seea truth apart from reason

that makes us all onethat seems to elude us

but that is already knownNow we slow our paceso we are able to see

a thawing streamsunrise in nightfall

as seeds from the pastleap forth suddenly

Inherited Dreams TEXT: ANDREW CONLEY IMAGE: WEB

Andrew Conley is a writer from the United States inspired by engaged Buddhism. He writes in a mirror form with the thesis that eternal knowledge and a way to peace are written as a holy text in nature.

MORNING BOOK CLUB

EVENING BOOK CLUB

For Morning Book Club meeting dates, times & location, contact Julie Hu at: [email protected]

For Evening Book Club meeting dates, times & location, contact Lauren at: [email protected]

The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

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I grew up in Rome, and I used to pass the Pantheon every day on the way to school. The frantic buzz of tourists and Romans amongst ancient art is

something I am used to, so when I came to Taipei last year, I felt the need to dig a little deeper to get something out of the city, artistically speaking.

Taipei is not a typical Asian capital. The calm you can feel here is very different to the craziness and the crowds of Shanghai, Tokyo, or Seoul, and when a city is not so ”in your face,” exploration is al l the more rewarding. The islanders here are more laidback than their counterparts in China. Even for a European like me, the rhythm of studying and working here is surprisingly lacking in intensity, compared to what I am used to in Europe. You can feel the newness of this c i ty. The continual b locks of conveniently tiled buildings are interspersed with overgrown temples, and besides the majesty of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, Taiwan’s long, multicultural history is not generally reflected in its architecture, which is something that I took for granted in Europe. But lacking in personality Taipei is not. Instead of looking to the past, young street artists are bringing intriguing color into the city, and giving it an increasingly artistic, prosperous future.

A BREEDING GROUND FOR ART STUDENTS

I have to admit, growing up in an ancient capital, I can be a bit of a traditionalist. Graffiti artists have left their mark on ruins throughout Rome and I can’t understand why one would put a post-modern sculpture in the foreground of the Colosseum. In Taipei, however, it works. The place

that caught my attention the most was the National Taiwan University of Arts, which I came across accidently. After taking an aimless turn near Guandu MRT station in the north of the city, and following a twisting road through thick forest, I arrived at the campus via the back entrance. The campus commands an expansive view of the city below, and feels like a breeding ground for art students to fully engage with their craft. There, they treat their campus as a gallery; constantly experimenting with space.

At the top of the campus, a huge bird-like structure fashioned from a cage looks out over Beitou. Against the pinkish sunset, it’s a striking sight. But what I found most wonderful were the little, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it installations. On the way down to the main campus, a few students were gathered around a tree, taking pictures. A pair of shoes were hanging from the branches, seemingly forgotten. When I started speaking to some of the students they said these little hidden works are common on the campus.

TEXT & IMAGES: Luca de Cadlihac

Taipei:A City Begging to be Discovered

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They appear and disappear from day to day, triggering intrigue and creating a story in the mind of each person who spots them. This kind of modern art perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the campus. Students are not just experimenting with their own unique forms of expression, but trying to inspire their classmates too. Continuing through the campus, each turn brings new shapes and colors. It defines the landscape. There’s even a pair of resident buffalo that may or may not be some kind of living exhibition. A visit here brings a perfect escape from urban life, and it’s well worth spending a little time in this birthplace of the next generation of creatives.

SOMETHING FOR EVERY GENERATION

Back in the c i ty, the distr ict of Zhongshan is full of street art that breaks up the flow of shoppers and diners darting around the street stalls and boutiques. It has a sleepless feel to it, a restlessness that is unique in Taipei. Coming out of the MRT, the long street which leads to the Museum of Art is full of murals and sculptures. Colorful robots for children, edgy works of graffiti for adolescents, and rural vistas painted onto anonymous doors. Putting something for every generation in the same space has a harmonising quality. In a country where

grandparents play such an elemental role in their grandchildren’s upbringing, aesthetically chaotic spaces like these seek to bridge the generational gap. And with the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Zhongshan metro area is a perfectly curated prelude to one of Taiwan’s finest artistic institutions.

Being a Roman and coming from a life surrounded by antiquity, I find Taipei to be a very special city. It often feels like the yin to Rome’s yang. It’s not a place for the absent-minded to look but not really see, and falling into this trap is too easy. The tranquillity, the absence of ostentation, and the gentle mix of the modern and the traditional make the city a place that begs to be discovered, rather than merely ”toured.”

Luca de Cadilhac i s a student from Italy whose passions are la n g uage s , t ra v e l , p h o t o g r a p h y a n d international cuisine.

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T aiwan is certainly the place to be for celebrating the Lunar (or Chinese) New Year. There is something invigorating about

being here. Perhaps it’s the mounting excitement and hopeful expectations which are ever-present, especially in the Chinese market places.

I happen to love the markets of Taipei, especially the more traditional ones. For me, they are the heartbeat of the society, a place where everyone goes to shop, chat wi th favor i te vendors, pick up choice food items, and network.

Each year, one week before Lunar New Year eve, I brave the crowds and head over to Dihua Street. Some of my friends just shake their heads in disbelief at my annual pilgrimage to this historic neighborhood.

For me, being among the throngs of people and gingerly navigating my way along the crowded sidewalks and streets, is a reminder of how tradition unites people. The streets are brimming with racks of clothing, rows of neatly stacked house slippers, green, red and blue plastic containers filled with shiny kitchen items, huge bins of brightly wrapped candy, dried spices and herbs, piles of garlic and ginger, and hanging pressed ducks that look like they have been run over by a steam roller.

THE CHINESE CALENDAR The Chinese calendar combines the

solar, lunar and the sixty stem-branch counting systems. Also included are

the five elements, metal, water, wood, fire and earth, along with the twelve animals (the rat, ox, t iger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig) that make up the Chinese zodiac. It is a complex system.

The full title for this year’s zodiac animal is the Brown Earth Pig. The color brown corresponds with the earth element. According to Chinese astrologers, 2019 is supposed to be an auspicious year for all signs of the Chinese zodiac, because the pig attracts success in all aspects of life.

LUCKY LUNAR NEW YEAR FOODS To make sure that good luck is

present at each family’s New Year’s Eve dinner table, auspicious dishes are prepared and served. Chicken, fish, mustard greens, shredded vegetable dishes (containing ten vegetables like potato noodles, spinach, ci lantro, celery, Chinese cabbage), etc., are traditional favorites. Each dish signifies a specific symbol of good wishes to those that are present. In Taiwanese, the pronunciation of “chicken” is similar to “home and family”. In Mandarin, the pronunciation of “fish” and “surplus” sound the same. Steamed dumplings in the shape of gold ingots are eaten to ensure that prosperity will come your way from every direction.

Several years ago, at a good friend’s home, we had a delicious hot pot, in addition to the regular traditional dishes. It was filled-to-the brim with tofu, stuffed dumplings, fish balls,

a thread-like green moss, Chinese cabbage and bamboo fungus. Each ingredient had a special symbolic meaning and by the time we finished our meal, I felt like I was the luckiest lady in the whole world.

THE LANTERN FESTIVALThe Lantern Festival takes place

two weeks after the Lunar New Year and marks spring’s arrival. Red paper lanterns of all sizes are hung in hotel lobbies, department stores, shopping malls, post offices, temples and in traditional markets.

There are several legends about the origin of the Lantern Festival. One version goes back to the Western Han dynasty (206-24 BC), when Emperor Han Wu Di, wanted red lanterns hung and lit throughout his palace in honor of the god Taiyi. This god was powerful, for he controlled disease, drought, floods, the rain and the wind. During his entire reign, Emperor Han Wu Di made sure that during the first month of the lunar New Year, all the red lanterns were lit for the safety and welfare of the people.

TEXT: SUZAN BABCOCK IMAGE: WEB

Celebrating the Lucky Lunar New Year of the Brown Earth Pig

Suzan Babcock is a long-t ime res ident o f Ta iwan. During her stay here, she has managed four successful careers in education, cross-c u l t u r a l r e l a t i o n s a n d counseling, although being a mother has been her favorite.

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www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2019 19

CULTURE

TEXT: TRAVIS HUMPHREY IMAGES: WEB, TRAVIS HUMPHREY

T he first time I visited China was back in 1998. I was 19, and in my second year of college. I made the trip because of my parents’ jobs after they took on a year assignment that eventually turned into three

years. To be honest, at that moment in my life, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was enjoying life as a college student in the States, and the last thing I wanted to do was go to China. Nonetheless, my parents thought living as expats in China would be an excellent opportunity for our family.

When we first arrived there, I must say I was quite overwhelmed by the language barrier. There were hardly any English-speaking expats living there, and the locals didn’t speak much English. Luckily, my dad hired a Chinese tutor from a local university. She would come to our hotel and teach us some basic Chinese a couple of times a week.

One of the first things she taught me how to say was, “Have you eaten yet?” Of course, I found it strange that I could barely say hello, but I knew how to ask people if they had eaten. I’m sure it’s hard to imagine me running around China asking people whether they had eaten. In the beginning, it was quite difficult to approach random people and ask such a question. However, it became normal quickly. Soon I realized that this was just another way of saying hello. A conversation starter if you will. Now that I have experienced Chinese culture for over twenty years, I have mastered the usage of the phrase!

Now that you know my story, let’s get started with the Chinese lesson. Thankfully, the Chinese created a way to read the language using a phonetic system called pinyin. Below is a picture of the phrase “Have you eaten yet?” in Chinese characters and in pinyin.

You can use the phrase for any of the three daily meals. However, it is usually used around lunchtime. If the answer to the question is “yes,” then they will probably ask you the same question. After that, you can continue chatting. If the answer, however, is “no,” they will likely follow with something like, “oh, I’m just so busy!” At that point, you should try to give them some encouragement. You can say something like, “Hang in there, it’s almost the weekend!”

Personally, I like to use this phrase a lot with people I know. I will take notice when someone hasn’t had a chance to eat. I will ask them the question even though I know the answer. Then I will try to encourage them to get through the rest of the day.

No matter if you try to use this Chinese phrase or practice other words, the Taiwanese will genuinely appreciate you trying to speak the language. I often say just “hello” in Chinese, and people tell me my Chinese is excellent. I am blown away by their complements, and think to myself, "Wow, I only said hi!" Imagine what people would say when you’re fluent.

If trying out new languages isn't your cup of tea, then you can start by asking Chinese people about their meals in English. I think you’ll be surprised how quickly people respond to your questioning.

Good luck practicing Chinese. I’m available if anyone wants to discuss this topic further.

Travis Humphrey has spent half his life teaching in Chinese speaking countries. Currently, he spends his free t ime writing about his experience as an expat in Taiwan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/travishumphrey/

How a Little Chinese Can Go a Long Way

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TEXT: JUDY TSUEI IMAGE: WEB

What if People Are Talking About You Behind Your Back?

R ecently, I received a LINE message from a client who said, “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.” I

had no idea what she was referring to until the pieces began to fall together and I came to realize that someone who had once been close to me had written about me on Facebook, which then caused a chain reaction of concern that eventually reached me.

As I became pr ivy to what was written about me, I had to take a step back to breathe. My mental health, personal character, and role as a parent were being talked about in a very public space. If I were any outside person who read those words, I would also be very concerned — both for the person being talked about and for the person writing the post.

T h a n k f u l l y, t h r o u g h h o n e s t conversation with my client, I cleared up what could have been disastrous. She

listened with kindness and generosity, and still chose to move forward with our working together — though if she had believed the gossip, it could have taken an entirely different turn.

Later, a mutual friend who also saw the Facebook post reached out to me and shared, “I’m a smart enough person to know that there are two sides to every story.” But, not everyone has that same perspective and some will immediately believe what’s being said.

WHEN IT COMES TO GOSSIP, WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE IT?

Everything we experience as humans is subjective. We each have our own unique lens through which we view the world, colored by our previous experiences, value systems, and level of open-heartedness.

G o s s i p – ca s u a l co nve rs i o n o r talking about other people, typically

involving details that aren’t confirmed as true – isn’t a hard-line, black-or-white situation. It’s something we all participate in, and usually starts out innocently enough.

M a y b e s o m e o n e s a i d o r d i d something that offended you, and you’re not okay with it. Maybe your boss got angry at you, when you felt like it wasn’t deserved. Maybe a friend promised you to show up to a specially-made plan, but couldn’t make it at the last minute and you were left feeling vulnerable, or hurt.

Rather than bravely confronting the person who offended you, it’s often easier to have a reaction to the situation, then go around gathering evidence that proves your feelings are valid and just. That’s when we start reaching out and talking to others. We want a support group that agrees with us, especially with feelings of empathy or compassion, like “Oh, I can’t believe

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he did that to you, too!” or “She said what?!”

Approaching problems in this way isn’t helpful, because it’s not seeking advice to reach a healthy solution. Instead, it’s venting — or gossip.

In order to avoid gossip, you need to go directly to the source. Approach the person who caused the problem. Gather the courage and grace to speak your truth about something that is important to you, as you aim to set the story straight and reach a positive conclusion.

When you go behind someone’s back, and convince others to believe in your negative opinion, chances are that you’re only telling your version of what happened, which does not leave room for the big picture. It’s exclusive, rather than inclusive. And, in the end, it does much more harm than good.

ARE YOU THE ONE WHO’S GOSSIPING?

Gossip stories can be rooted in a seed of truth, or at least the perspective on truth the person sharing the gossip believes, and may range from hearsay to actual slander. While most people don’t intentionally want to “trash” the person they’re talking about, the impact of gossip can be severe, especially when you’re doing it in a public platform, which is what social media has become.

I f y o u’r e t h e p e r s o n s t a r t i n g the gossip, think about this hard truth: you’re afraid — and you’re manipulating your listeners.

You may be afraid of confrontation.You may be afraid of the truth.You may be afraid of being seen in a

way other than how you would hope others would view you.

Ultimately, you’re afraid of dealing with the situation in an adult way.

When you can let go of the fear, you have an opportunity to be an example of living authentically, and showing up as a real leader. Gossip has a toxic effect, because it strips you of your power to change what you don’t like, undermines your own heartfelt intentions, and damages relationships.

TO BE PERFECTLY BLUNT, GROW UP AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE

Yes, it’s scary, but it’s not impossible.

Instead of rallying sympathy on your side, what if you could simply go to the source of the situation and get what you really need — understanding, connection, and resolution.

T h e e f fe c t s ca n b e i m m e d i ate and life-changing. But, you have to be courageous enough to show up differently.

Can you do it?

HOW TO STOP THE GOSSIP AND SET THE STORIES STRAIGHT

When you’re the person be ing gossiped about, your ego can absolutely get activated. Maybe you want to fight back with words of your own. Maybe you want to set the story straight. Maybe you feel like walking the high road and won’t avenge where you’ve been wounded. In fact, it may be cold comfort to remind you that the gossip reveals more about the person saying the thing than it does about you.

It requires a very conscious individual to choose to show up in the light, rather than get drawn into the shadows. As life coach and speaker Lisa Nichols says, “Speak about others in a way that at the end of your life, you could be on a stage sharing your stories, and the person who’s hurt you the most could be in the audience, and still be seen with dignity and respect.”

Ultimately, you’re only impacted by what you let in. Marisa Peer, voted the U.K.’s top therapist, shares four simple responses whenever you’re getting unhelpful feedback:

1. “Thank you for sharing that. I choose not to let it in.”a. Think of your conversation like

a game of tennis, where you simply put down your racquet and walk off the court.

2. “I missed that. Could you repeat that for me? Slowly?”a. When you do this, you give the

other person an opportunity to realize what they’re doing and you’re essentially calling them out on their behavior.

3. “Oh, are you trying to make me feel bad about myself? Are you trying to hurt my feelings?”a. Bullying is defined by a person

diminishing you to embellish themselves, and this approach holds a mirror up to them.

4. “Since we’re being honest and

sharing, and you’re being critical, yo u’re a c t u a l l y s h o w i n g m e what you don’t really like about yourself.”a. Happy people praise, while

people who feel inadequate criticize. If you don’t let it in, it can’t hurt you, and instead, the other person is left holding their words or feelings.

WHAT IF YOU’RE AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER?

Every time you listen to gossip about someone, you internalize it and keep it as a file in your brain. Then, whenever you see that person afterward, you’ll remember the gossip — it’ll change how you feel about them, how you treat them, and how you interact. Your relationship becomes more superficial, and you lose the opportunity to create a deep connection.

At the end of the day, every single one of us simply wants to be accepted as we are. It hurts when we’re not. We want to be connected to other people, but sometimes, the fear of connection is so immense that we don’t know how to handle our disappointments when we show up vulnerably, and we’re not received the ways we want to be.

The more you talk about things, the more momentum it creates. So, if you can stop talking, stop listening, or stop engaging in gossip, the power of it falls away.

You create your own reality. Create one you’d like to be living.

And, remember, the more you hold your head up high and keep your heart open to love over fear, the more you can be like the 6’3” pro-volleyball player and speaker, Gabrielle Reece, who says, “It’s a small thing for a giant.”

Judy Tsuei is a travel writer, life coach and mama who empowers women to heal and thrive by helping them to rewrite their personal stories into beautiful journeys of heroines. Judy can be reached at: www.wildheartedwords.com

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TEXT: CHRISTINA GRUNWALD IMAGES: WEB

EMPOWER YOUR CHILDRENBefore moving, it‘s important to give your children a concrete and specific sense

of what their future will look like. Try to show them how it will be different in the new country. Make them aware that there might be things they will need to change. Especially younger children need to see something visual and specific.

It is important that children know what they will encounter in the future and that they will be safe. If they get anxious, tell them what you are going to do to protect them in their new environment.

Not all parents have the option of choosing where to go, and when. However, during the process of moving to another country, many choices may need to be made. If you can include the children in some of these decisions, it will empower them a lot. Remember, keep big choices and decisions for older children, and small choices and decisions for younger children.

A PROPER GOODBYEIt’s important to help your children say goodbye. Show them that they deserve a

proper farewell. Arrange a farewell party, let them draw a picture or give cards to their friends in

order to express their love and appreciation.Leaving is a grieving process. You have to leave your school, your friends and the

place you love. So when parents see their children sad, they may say: “You know what? We can always come back on vacation and visit your friends.” However, if you are not able to keep your promise it could ruin your children’s trust in you. So, if you say something, you must do your best to keep that promise.

PAY ATTENTION TO CHILDREN’S EMOTIONSSome have a strong ability for adjustment and will fit into their new environment

quickly, while others may find it more difficult. They may feel resentment or lack of control over their lives.

In order to give your children a sense of control, try to find activities that they enjoyed before, so they gain the sense that even though their whole world has changed, they still have something that they can control. Where they have some

Living Abroad With Children – a counselor’s recommendations

W h a t w o u l d a c o u n s e l o r recommend parents to be aware of when moving abroad with children?

Kuang-Shan Wan is a licensed counselor at the Community Services Center, where she has counseled children through play therapy for the past four years. With her experience of helping parents support their children coming to Taiwan she gives the following advice.

Before moving • Show them a video, a picture or a website of their new environment, school

and home • Use Google to show them what the streets look like• Use storytelling, reading a book or performing a puppet play

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R ikke sits in a grey sofa in the middle of her living room. She moved from Denmark to Taiwan just four months ago,

together with her husband and their three kids, aged 6, 10 and 13 years old.

At the time of our interview, Rikke still has the perspective of a new-comer to Taiwan, and her considerations about moving abroad are fresh in her mind.

Here in this sofa is where I feel most at home. All f ive of us can fit in. It means something that we are sitting in the same sofa as we did back home in Denmark.

Shipping all of their furniture and belongings to Taiwan was a conscious decision.

Two years is a long time without your belongings. Especially for the kids.

The day our things arrived, I came back home to discover our eldest had already begun unpacking. He’d hooked up the computer and started playing video games. After a couple of days he asked when we were planning on hanging up our pictures. I don’t know if it made him happier, but I could sense that it made him more at ease when they finally went up. Out here it was more difficult for him to get started at the new school than for our younger ones. He missed his old class. So I think it was important for him to be able to look at the pictures and remember how life was before.

Rikke and her husband had always talked about how they wanted to live abroad. Both of them love to travel, and see themselves as adventurous people. So when the opportunity of moving to Taipei came up, they grabbed it. Once the decision was made, they told the children. All three were very positive about the move.

PREPARING FOR A NEW LIFEA couple of months before moving,

the family went on a scouting trip to visit Taipei, see the children’s school, and to find a place to live.

The weather was great and our children met some other Danish kids at the school playground. After that the kids felt much more conf ident about moving out here. If you have the opportunity, I would really recommend a scouting trip. For my kids it meant a lot to know exactly where they would be living and what the school looked like.

Preparing for the move, the kids all

participated in packing some of their things together. The two eldest held goodbye parties for their friends.

Now if they miss their friends and family they each have a scrap box with pictures, drawings and memorabilia from their childhood.

power, they still can make some choices.”If you notice changes in their behavior or emotions, convey

your understanding and acceptance. Try not to rush them to change how they feel. Instead, accept their feelings as much

as you can. Parents too often try to convince their child to see the

positive side. However, trying to convince a child while they are still feeling sad and angry, there’s the risk of the child sinking even deeper into sadness. If their behavior or emotions deteriorate, Kuang-Shan recommends that they see a counselor, either at the Community Services Center, or at their school.

OUTLOOK

TEXT: CHRISTINA GRUNWALD IMAGES: WEB

The Sofa Is Our Home

LIVING ABROAD WITH KIDS

As expats we bring our kids to Taiwan from all over the world. We live here for a shorter or a longer time. Then we move back home, or we move on to another country.

This article is part of a series where parents share their experiences of moving with kids to Taipei from abroad. Which advantages and challenges do they see?

And how do they support their kids before, during and after living abroad?

Once abroad Maintain your daily rituals and daily schedule as much as

possible • Continue activities that the children used to feel

competent in doing. • Pay close attention to changes in the children’s behavior

or emotions.

Christina Grunwald lives with her family i n T a i p e i . S h e i s a n A n t h r o p o l o g i s t , Organizational Development Consultant and avid Iyengar Yoga Practitioner.

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FEBRUARY 2019 www.communitycenter.org.tw24

OUTLOOK

THE YOUNGER THE KIDS ARE, THE EASIER IT IS

Contemplating what she has learned over the past four months, Rikke states:

The younger your kids are, the easier moving abroad is. A teenager may find it hard.

Back in Denmark teenagers would hang out outside in the evenings, and they can ride their bikes around pretty much anywhere. They can’t do that here. We live on the mountain, so we drive the kids around all the time,” she says, laughing. “That is a big difference.

The school is also very different. They have much more homework here. In Denmark they hardly had any. They have not gotten used to that yet. It will take more time.

O n the p lus s id e, we are mo re together as a family. The kids see their father less during the week, because he works longer hours, but when the weekend comes around we are more together as a family than we were back home. Back home the kids would always have a play date, or we would have family gatherings to go to. Here if we don’t have plans, we go to the beach together. In that sense, we have more family time being abroad.

AN INTERNATIONAL CHILD HERSELF

Rikke is not new to living abroad. She lived in Singapore for three years from the age of eight. She hopes to give her children the same good experiences that she remembers from her childhood.

My personality was influenced in a positive way by living in Singapore. Being open to other cultures, I believe, comes from my childhood. Arriving in a country and being the foreigner. Not being amongst your own kind. That worked really well in Singapore. It ’s very multicultural. People come from all over the world and that was not a problem. You were accepted as you are.

In Denmark there is much political debate about ghettos and immigrants m o v i n g t o g e t h e r i n t h e s a m e neighborhoods . Some pol i t i c ians want newcomers to integrate. But I understand that when you come from a dif ferent country you want to be close to people from you home country – it feels safe and recognizable. So in that sense I have gained a better understanding of what it means to be a foreigner.

I hope my kids wil l expand their horizon from this experience in the sense that they are able to see the larger picture and have a multicultural view. In some ways I see they are already getting that. Our eldest came home from school saying: “Mum, you know what? The kids from India eat with their hands at lunch.” He just stated it, but didn’t judge it.

HOME HAS DIFFERENT MEANINGSLiving in different countries may

affect a child’s identity in different ways. Although Rikke spent some of her foundational years in Singapore, she clearly identifies as Danish.

Danish. That’s what I feel I am. We were out so few years as a child and I grew up in Denmark. Maybe I could be called a “Third Culture Kid – Light Version” because I gained some of the positive aspects of living abroad. But my home is Denmark.”

However, home is an ambivalent word and feeling that can change depending on the situation:

When we lived in Singapore “home” meant Singapore. So I guess “home” was where my parents where. And now

here in Taiwan we feel this is our home, but we do say “back home,” meaning Denmark.

STAYING ROOTED – KEEPING THE LINK

Staying in contact with relatives and friends back in Denmark is important to Rikke, as they plan to return to the same house and school in two years’ time. A family blog, Snapchat and Instagram are some of the tools that make it easier to keep the link alive from afar.

I want the kids to feel that they belong somewhere. I hope they will not feel rootless. Therefore this will be our experience abroad. We are not planning on moving abroad again after Taiwan.

Rikke explains what she means by not being rootless:

It is important to have a place where you feel you belong, and where you can identify with the people who live there. Where you feel at home physically and socially.

For me being at home means being c lose to our extended family. But also having our own country. I don’t really know why. It does not have to be like that. Maybe it is because I like Denmark, and want my children to like it too.

At this moment – four months into their stay abroad – Rikke is confident that they will return to Denmark, but she does not rule out that this might change:

If it is up to me and my husband we will only stay two years. However, if the whole family really want to stay longer, or move on to another country, then I can’t rule out the possibility that we won’t move back home. But it would have to come from the children – all of them. The first move out here was our decision as parents. The next would need to be the children’s.

THIRD CULTURE KIDS

In the 1950s US Anthropologists and Sociologists Ruth and John Useem studied American children living in India. They coined the term “Third Culture Kids” (TCK) to describe children who for a significant part of their early development years (0-18 years old) are raised in a different society than the one their parents grew up in.

TCK’s integrate aspects from their birth culture (the first culture) and the new culture (second culture), creating a unique third culture.

TCK are often multilingual, good at adapting to new environments and are accepting of other cultures. On the down side they may deal with grief and loss as they say goodbye to family and friends regularly. Some TCKs find it difficult creating lasting bonds and settling down in one place.

Christina Grunwald l ives with her family in Taipei. She is an Anthropologist, Organizational Development Consultant and avid Iyengar Yoga Practitioner.

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TRAVEL

L unar New Year i s upon us once again, and with it one of Taiwan's most magical annual events: the Lantern Festival.

For many this will mean a trip to the beautiful upper Keelung River valley and the old mining villages of Shifen and Pingxi, famed for one of Taiwan's "big four" Lantern Festival celebrations: sky lanterns.

I don't wish to be a party pooper, but (despite what local villagers continue to say), the area's phenomenally popular sky lanterns (which in recent years are being released in large numbers almost every day of the year) are having a catastrophic effect on the local environment. Despite the best efforts of local villagers, the extremely rugged,

densely wooded and inaccessible nature of the hills surrounding the villages makes it impossible to collect more than a tiny percentage of the lanterns that are released and later fall to the ground.

Walk or drive along the valley's roads and through its lovely villages any time of the year, and the forests covering the steep ridges on either side wil l be conspicuously dotted with bright red, pink, yellow and blue splotches. Yet these plainly visible abandoned lanterns are just the tip of the iceberg. Countless other structures of oi led paper, bamboo and wire, forgotten, unreachable and invisible to human eyes, lie on the forest floor, are draped over branches and dangle

from rock faces. They'll take decades to decompose, and only a tiny number will be gathered and disposed of.

If you MUST release a sky lantern, consider doing it only at this time of year, during the Lantern Festival itself. If possible though, please consider just being a spectator and watching others release their lanterns, satisfied in the knowledge that you're not contributing to the ever-increasing mass of trash that's left to rot in the surrounding forests and mountainsides.

Even better, arrive early in the day and explore a few of the many beautiful sights around the villages.

Mentioning even the majority of worthwhile things to see and do around Pingxi and Shifen would take far more

Enjoying Shifen and Pingxi ... without the sky lanterns

TEXT & IMAGES: RICHARD SAUNDERS

RICHARD SAUNDERS EXPLORES TAIWAN'S LESS-TRODDEN PATHS

Richard Saunders is a trained classical musician and writer who has lived in Taipei since 1993. He has written several books (available at the Center and in bookshops around Taipei), including Yangmingshan: the Guide (a complete guide to the National Park on Taipei’s doorstep), Taipei Escapes I and 2, which together detail sixty day trips and hikes within easy reach of Taipei city, and The Islands of Taiwan, a guide to Taiwan’s offshore islands. His latest book, Taiwan 101: Essential Hikes, Sights and Experiences around Ilha Formosa, is out now.

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TRAVEL

space than I have, so if you really want to explore the area, take along a copy of either Taipei Escapes book one or Taiwan 101 volume one, both of which have detailed information on the sights of the valley. As a small taster of what you can enjoy though, how about these:

• Seven spectacular waterfa l ls (including the widest in Taiwan);

• Some of the finest short hikes in northern Taiwan, including a series of rocky pinnacles, climbed by thrilling (but safe!) rock-cut steps;

• A pair of huge but little-known, bat-infested caves hidden in the jungle;

• Three of the best preserved old villages in northern Taiwan;

• and fascinating remnants dating back a century, when the area was Taiwan's most important coal mining region.

F o r m o r e d e t a i l s , s e e h t t p : //www.taiwanof f thebeatentrack.com/2017/04/19/taiwans-wild-hot-springs-vii-hayouxi-hot-springs/

#14 Tienmu E. Road | Telephone 2871-1515 | [email protected]

CSC BUSINESS CLASSIFIED

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ART

across from the ShiDong Elementary School, (pencil)

金金金金金金豬豬豬報報報喜喜喜迎迎迎新新新春春春春春春

一一一同同同歡歡歡樂樂樂慶慶慶元元元宵宵宵

BAI WIN COLLECTIONwishes you a Happy and Prosperous

year of the Pig!year of the Pig!year of the Pig!y

BAI WIN COLLECTIONwishes wishes w you a Happy and you a Happy and y Prosperous Prosperous P

year of the Pig!year of the Pig!y

During Chinese New Year, February 2-10, by appointment only, please call Faye at 0910301341新年期間2/2-10僅採預約參觀，我們竭誠歡迎您的到來，預約請致電0910301341 (安飛菲)

Artwork by Wilder Love Fox

Wilder Love Fox is an adventurous four year old who's traveled around the world ever since she was born on the magical isle of Kauai in Hawaii.

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“ Ordinary people make the world” says Satoru Kondo, a Ta ipei-based photographer from Japan, i n ex p l a n a t i o n o f h i s l a te st

exhibition, Nobody. Up to the age of thirty-four, Satoru was one of those ordinary people. A salesman in Tokyo, conforming to expectations and striving for stability, until he called everything into question and (in a flash) traded in normality to study photography. Japanese schools were impressive but too technical and rooted in tradition. He knew he could not thrive in those conditions. It was time to abandon the limits of familiarity. New York was far

too commercial, so he turned to the London College of Communication, and finally broke free from the monotony of his own culture. London was messy and multicultural. A place where following instinct, rather than tradition, was a craft worth honing.

Since moving to Taiwan with his wife in 2008, his work has delved deeper into the spirit of the country, and in 2013 he gained international acclaim after the Sony World Photography Awards dubbed him the Nature & Wildlife Photographer of the Year for Moment. But it is his love for the everyman, and the purity that he has found in the Taiwanese, that has led to the latest instalment in a vastly diverse body of work. The different, the same and the strange are all represented in a way that is anything but “ordinary.” Born from his love of street photography and displayed in a dilapidated building just steps from his studio in Banqiao’s Art Zone, Nobody puts its subjects firmly back where they belong.

Against a grubby wall, he has pasted a six-foot photograph of the illustriously painted face of a ba jia jiang (a folkloric guardian of the underworld). Around the corner, a clown looks down at the bare concrete floor, and a pile of bricks

TEXT: ELLIOTT HODGKIN IMAGES: SATORU KONDO

SATORU KONDOLife in Color

ART

The photographer's latest exhibtion ‘Nobody’ in the open air

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has been transformed into an old man, sticking out his tongue and pulling on his cheeks. Color and humour breathe life back into the stark grey environment, one which Satoru says can be seen throughout the city.

Its revitalizing effect could almost be considered a public service and, he says, is a response to bleak memories of the walls of people queuing for the metro in Tokyo, all in an unintentional uniform of black.

“I think the way the photo is shown is as important as the photo itself,” he says as he walks around the compound. Indeed, art hung on the all-too-familiar white walls of a gallery can sometimes ster i l ize i ts bond with real i ty. By c o l l a b o ra t i n g w i t h fa m i l i a r b u t altogether unexceptional environments, his wonder for the ordinary is deeply exposed and his work gets to exist in the real world, subjected to the elements. He remarks how pleased he is that the edges of the photos are peeling and fraying, and in places the ink has begun to run and blur. He admits that he is still looking for a better material. However, finding that perfect type of paper is still far from a finishing touch as he keeps many of his exhibitions under a “work-in-progress”

status. With plans to create Nobody for the streets of Tainan and (rather theatrically) exhibit Waves (2012) in a warehouse on diaphanous, industrial-sized curtains with water covering the floor, his audience will undoubtedly grow and keeping turning the page for the next chapter of the story. He hopes that children, too, will be enraptured by these immersive new worlds and take an active interest in art.

Realising such a hope will hardly prove a challenge. As Saturo breaks down a number of his projects, his


Keep an eye out for Satoru Kondo. Nobody can be seen at Banqiao 435 Art Zone until February 20th, and a full catalogue of his work can be viewed on his website: http://www.satorukondo.com

ART

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childhood in Tokyo has evidently always been something of an inspirational springboard, despite Taiwan having been the focus of his work for the past decade. His award-winning Moment [Matataki] is an ode to his mother’s love of flowers. Waves, on the other hand, came from a strikingly eerie memory of his father taking him to look at the sea in the dead of night.

“I don’t know why he did that,” he says with curious amusement, “it was terrifying, but I was transfixed.” Another of his most recent projects, Taiwan Character, might have never co m e a b o u t h a d h e n o t b e co m e a father. Seeing bright colors and cartoonish toys through the eyes of his young son triggered memories of the cartoon mascots he himself used to see in shops as a child. The Japan-born kawaii movement of aesthetic “cuteness” has exploded across Asia since the 1970s, and Taiwan has most

notably picked up on the playfulness it can bring to daily life. It’s a clear draw for children, but by emphasizing familiar features of Taiwanese life, he brings out that same uninhibited joy in adults too. It may seem lost, but Satoru’s uncomplicated focus on emotional memory is a welcome reminder that it never truly goes away.

Although his life in Japan echoes throughout his work in Taiwan over the past decade, his homeland has little to do with his identity now, personal and artistic. Or so he thought.

“Day to day, I don’t feel Japanese. But when I went to London to accept the award for Moment, everyone was saying how “zen” my photos were. So, I guess it comes through.” It would seem that this subconscious ability to capture calm and clarity is what has garnered the interest in his work across Europe and Asia. Before Taiwan, his work was predominantly in black and white. The first pictures he took upon moving to London exemplified his loneliness and alienation (as in I live here). It was then that he realised the emotive power that he could express through photography.

W h e n a s k e d w h a t k i n d o f photographs he might take if his focus would ever return to Japan, he replies: “I really think I would go back to black and white, again.” His life in Taiwan has been defined by marriage and the birth of his son, and his reason for shifting from monochrome to color is as distinct and concise as his photographs: “because Taiwan is the color.”

ART

Elliott Hodgkin is a student at the University of Leeds and has a case of wanderlust that he just can’t shake.

(left) the vast image of the Ba Jia Jiang, a guardian of the underworld, is the exhibtion’s showstopper

(above) Satoru Kondo smiles from his studio in the Banqiao 435 Art District

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So, it is the dreamer's deedto scatter every perfect seedinto any field in needbefore winter's reposebecause the dreamer knowswhen springtime growsfrom the holy earthin sudden and complete rebirththe new life's worth.Each sacred stemreminds us quietlyif we see themof the innate sanctityof the dreamer's taskHe sleeps below the mindpausing now to askof what questions he will findwhen he wanders theresoft steps, silent feetsilent and unbroken staresowing near completeFor as mortals we are hexedto, in the moment, wait for the nextsuch an unquiet spellcast where the shadows fellon February's field

SoTEXT: ANDREW CONLEY IMAGE: WEB

Andrew Conley is a writer from the United States inspired by engaged Buddhism. He writes in a mirror form with the thesis that eternal knowledge and a way to peace are written as a holy text in nature.

quiet and asleepwhere we are healedwhere cuts so deepbegin to disappearon the turning of the yearwhen each fallen tearturns silently to iceas we wait for the springwhen the field is paradisewhen what was silent begins to singwhen seeds leap to the sunas the cycles never ceasemany as onepaintings of a perfect peace

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